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Monthly Archives: January 2012

The battle between Silicon Valley and Hollywood took a stunning twist as U.S. lawmakers ‘stopped’ the SOPA – Stop Online Piracy ACT

The bills known as PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House, are aimed at curbing access to overseas websites that traffic in pirated content and counterfeit products, such as movies and music.

The unfortunate aspect of these bills, would be the vulnerability of businesses on the Internet to litigation. Where would they draw the line between legal activity and free speech vs the claws of such laws?

Perhaps the biggest issue here is politicians creating laws that would harm the very people they would be out to protect. Their lack of knowledge about how the net works was not in their favor in garnering support.

Look out for ACTA~
It ain’t over till its over folks and this battle already has tweaks that will take your breath away.

ACTA -the International Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement often considered more a Treaty, was signed on October 1, 2011 by President Obama, effectively ratifying it on behalf of the States.

What is interesting here, is the Congress, who normally have to give their support before the President can sign, were by-passed. This treaty is not a law, nor is it a bill or an act like SOPA or PIPA that can be followed or broken by a person. Only a country can break the treaty.

How do you arrest a country? Underneath the complexity of this ‘treaty’ is the pressure that would be put on ISPs to monitor the use of the Internet preventing the distribution of unauthorized material.

The bottom line is ACTA provides governments, world wide, a kind of support mechanism should they allow rights holders to seek personal data from ISPs – ‘allow‘ is a big word that bandies ‘must’ and ‘shall’ as government excuses to do so.

Are we back at SOPA and PIPA without having to make them laws? Does ACTA open doors on copyright infringement a lot deeper with a broader range infringement of yours and my privacy rights or our rights to ‘fair use‘ of copyright materials?

Whatever the case, don’t close the books on piracy laws or the possibility you can continue to pirate music and movies at will.

There is a comeuppance in store for all who do this and you may not appreciate the consequences anymore than you appreciate the attempts to reign you in under malformed law.

However you look at this situation, there is trouble ahead for ISPs and users.

If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand. ~~ Milton Friedman

It will become a dull roar as those who fail to heed bemoan the lost opportunity to protect their rights on a FREE Internet unencumbered by interfering governments with their own agenda.

The battle rages on between Silicon Valley and the entertainment group championed by Rupert Murdock. Critics of this proposed law say it is a ‘blunderbuss‘ and amounts to “web censorship.”

The veiled reason for these laws is PIRACY! That means big names are complaining you are robbing them blind. They do have the right to turn to Government for protection. And these companies will not doubt be able to get what they want before you and I as the little people ever will.

Black Hat piracy is big business. That is one side of the coin that does need addressing but not at the expense of you and me. Per usual, American Congress want Governments to step in to save you and me.

So they say.

I say hogwash!

Think gun control. Think Drugs and alcohol abuse laws. Think who those laws affected and who they did not. Now those were laws that were needed but they did not do the job any better than this one will.

These SOPA- style laws are in effect in Iran and China and other mid-eastern countries.

These are the same laws that decide if we can even talk to our friends in these countries. Now they want to introduce them on this side of the ocean? Can Google afford to become a pawn in deciding who it can do business with?

What do you think about these new laws? Is your congressman or congresswoman on top of what is coming down? Will they work for you if you write to them? Are you for or against this type of law?

There are places where you can sign petitions for or against. Do so wisely.

Read up on them NOW as time is of the essence for you to make an informed decision.

Two things come to mind. George Orwell and 1984. George was out by a few years but George saw the writing on the wall. The other thing is McCarthyism – what a terrible time in history that was. Is there a new fanatic out there trying to fill his shoes? Are we all in for another bout of laws based on fear mongering?

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~~Winston Churchill

When you first came online, what was your goal? It probably wasn’t so much a goal as a far off dream?

As humans, we are needy creatures. We need to feel loved, to love and acceptance is a must or we fade into the woodwork of life.

Striking out in a cold world like the Internet, does not make a lot of people feel any form of comfort. Who will see me, who will approve, who will laugh at me considering my attempts pure vanity ?

It is then the greatest mistake is made. To hide our deepest feelings, to be afraid, will be our downfall, why we will fail rather than succeed.

A young man pleads with society to give him their Candian Tire dollars. He is a singer and a good one. Where ever he plays he wins the heart of his listeners. He knows he is good but he needs help. If he can publish one album he will have created his brass ring. But he needs you to help him.

Will he succeed? What do you think?

Stepping out when you feel powerless. Speaking up rather than hiding the very reasons you need to succeed. Will these reasons make you stronger? More open to opportunity? Will you finally feel good enough to be deservant of success and go get it?